Last March, as he closed his final show on Detroit radio station WJR, Frank Beckmann told his audience, “It’s been a wonderful run. I’ve enjoyed every second, I really have.”
Beckmann’s voice boomed from Michigan radios for more than a half century.
A fixture on sports radio in Michigan for decades, Beckmann was the announcer for the Detroit Lions, Detroit Tigers, and most notably for the Michigan Wolverines. He provided play-by-play for Wolverine football games from 1981 to 2013.
Beckmann also hosted a daily show on WJR until his retirement in 2021.
He received a long list of awards during his career, including Michigan Sportscaster of the Year three times and the Chris Schenkel Award from the National Football Foundation. Beckmann was inducted in the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.
Last week, Beckmann’s family announced he was entering hospice after being diagnosed with vascular dementia and recently having suffered several strokes.
Frank Beckmann was 72.
